By ALEXA SOTO

“Taco night” for many across the United States consists of an Americanized idea of Mexican food: ground beef cooked with a packaged seasoning mix, taco shells, lettuce, tomato and sour cream.

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Let’s just say that if you’re reading this and have enjoyed a similar meal, you will be blown out of the water by this authentic version from my cookbook “Plantas: Modern Vegan Recipes for Traditional Mexican Cooking. ” These tacos were a favorite of mine as a kid. I remember watching my Tía Chela making them, and they felt like such a treat. The secret here is using salsa to season your meat, rather than dried herbs and spices. It creates much juicier, deeper flavor.

Tacos Dorados de Picadillo/Crispy “Beef” Tacos

Makes 12 tacos

Ingredients

This image released by Voracious shows the cookbook “Plantas: Modern Vegan Recipes for Traditional Mexican Cooking” by Alexa Soto. (Voracious via AP)

FILLING:

2 tablespoons neutral oil, such as avocado oil

½ medium white onion, diced small

3 garlic cloves, minced

2 large carrots, peeled and diced small

2 Yukon Gold potatoes, peeled and diced small

½ cup low-sodium vegetable broth

1 (12-ounce) package plant-based ground meat (such as Impossible or Beyond Meat)

¼ teaspoon sea salt

SALSA:

1 tablespoon neutral oil, such as avocado oil

2 ripe Roma tomatoes

¼ medium white onion

1 serrano or jalapeño pepper, stemmed and seeded

2 garlic cloves, peeled

¼ cup low-sodium vegetable broth

¼ bunch cilantro

¼ teaspoon sea salt

TACOS:

12 corn tortillas, store-bought or homemade

6 to 8 tablespoons neutral high-heat oil, such as avocado oil

Guacasalsa (guacamole mixed with salsa verde), for serving

Directions

This image released by Voracious shows a recipe for tacos dorados de picadillo, from the cookbook “Plantas: Modern Vegan Recipes for Traditional Mexican Cooking” by Alexa Soto. (Alexa Soto/Voracious via AP)

1. To make the filling, heat the oil in a large sauté pan over medium-low heat. Add the onion and sauté for 2 minutes, then add the garlic, carrots, and potatoes and sauté for 4 minutes. Turn the heat down to low and add the broth. Cover and steam for 10 to 12 minutes, until the vegetables are fork-tender. Add the ground meat and cook, using a spatula to break up any large clumps, for 7 to 10 minutes, until browned. Season with the salt.

2. Meanwhile, make the salsa. Heat the oil in a large skillet or sauté pan over medium heat. Add the whole tomatoes, onion quarter, serrano or jalapeño pepper, and garlic cloves and cook for 2 to 4 minutes on each side, until blackened and charred (the garlic might char more quickly, after 2 to 3 minutes total). Transfer the contents of the pan to a blender. Add the broth, cilantro, and salt and blend on high until smooth.

3. Add the salsa to the meat and vegetable mixture and stir to combine. Cook for 10 to 12 minutes. Taste and add more salt to your liking.

4. To make the tacos, heat a medium skillet or comal over high heat. Add a tortilla and cook for 30 to 40 seconds on each side, then transfer to a tortilla holder or wrap in a kitchen towel. Repeat to heat the remaining tortillas.

5. Add 2 tablespoons of the picadillo mixture to one half of each tortilla and fold to close. They should stay closed as you fry them, but feel free to use toothpicks if necessary.

6. Heat the oil in a large, deep sauté pan over medium heat. Working in batches, add a few tacos and fry for 2 minutes on each side, or until golden brown. Using a spatula, transfer the tacos to a paper towel–lined plate.

7. Serve with salsa and guacasalsa.

Alexa Soto is a Mexican-American recipe creator, mental health advocate and the creator of the blog Fueled Naturally. She lives in San Diego with her husband Chancy, son Santino and their two dogs.

Excerpted from PLANTAS by Alexa Soto. Copyright (copyright) 2024 by Alexa Soto.

By LAURA UNGAR

When Sarah Baldassaro turned 50, she took stock of her health and began working with a fitness coach on strength training, a type of exercise that’s crucial for women in midlife.

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“Now I would say I’m stronger overall than I ever have been at any age,” said Baldassaro, 52, of Alexandria, Virginia. “My fitness level is much more like when I was in my early 30s.”

Medical experts say strength training keeps bones and muscles healthy after menopause when estrogen loss speeds up a reduction in bone density and contributes to the gradual loss of muscle mass. This type of exercise — which involves working against resistance — also helps women maintain a healthy weight and stay on track with New Year’s resolutions about fitness.

“People underestimate how powerful it is,” said Dr. Christina DeAngelis, an OB-GYN at Penn State Health.

But what should your workout look like and how do you get started?

Strength training with weights

Physical therapist Hilary Granat said bone and muscle health are intertwined: When muscle pulls on bone during resistance training, it stimulates bone-building cells.

Sarah Baldassaro, left, demonstrates a strength-training regimen with her trainer, Hilary Granat, at the Center for Orthopedic Rehab and Exercise on Thursday, Jan. 8, 2026, in Washington. (AP Photo/Moriah Ratner)

Resistance can come from dumbbells, free weights or machines such as rowers. One example of a strength training exercise is the chest press, which involves lying back on a bench or the ground, pressing weights up from chest level and then lowering them.

It’s important to work “close to muscle failure,” said Granat, who owns Core Total Wellness in Washington, D.C. “You really have to push yourself.”

That means lifting weights that are heavy enough to be challenging and doing somewhere between six and 30 repetitions.

Sarah Baldassaro, left, demonstrates a strength-training regimen with her trainer, Hilary Granat, at the Center for Orthopedic Rehab and Exercise on Thursday, Jan. 8, 2026, in Washington. (AP Photo/Moriah Ratner)

You’ll know you’re working hard enough if you start slowing down in tempo or speed or can’t do another repetition in good form, she said. A good rule of thumb for an exercise like a bicep curl is to lift weights somewhere between 5 pounds and 20 pounds, with novices starting at the lower end.

Baldassaro has worked her way up to 20 pounds for some exercises, incorporating techniques she learned from Granat.

She said the health coach has helped her expand her workouts beyond mostly cardio.

While she still does aerobic exercises, “the strength training has really been the difference maker for me,” she said.

No weights? No problem

Building up bones and muscles doesn’t necessarily require equipment. You can also do pushups, squats, lunges, situps, crunches or planks. Another good exercise is squatting down with your back against a wall.

Sarah Baldassaro poses for a portrait at the Center for Orthopedic Rehab and Exercise on Thursday, Jan. 8, 2026, in Washington. (AP Photo/Moriah Ratner)

Even the simple act of getting into and out of a chair can be helpful, DeAngelis said.

“You have to engage your core going from sitting to standing,” she said. “That also allows you to work on your coordination and balance.”

There’s also what Granat calls “impact training” — exercises like walking, hiking, running, jumping, skipping and climbing stairs. On the high-impact end of the spectrum is a “rebound jump,” which involves jumping up and down from a step 10 to 30 times.

“We’re not talking about jumping hard and fast and a lot,” she said, adding that three times a week is enough.

Don’t forget about balance

Experts say middle-aged women should also perform balance exercises, which play a crucial role in preventing falls that can break or fracture bones.

Hilary Granat, left, and her client, Sarah Baldassaro, pose for a portrait at the Center for Orthopedic Rehab and Exercise on Thursday, Jan. 8, 2026, in Washington. (AP Photo/Moriah Ratner)

These include tai chi, yoga or even standing on one leg while brushing your teeth for around 30 seconds.

All of these exercises are great for younger people too, experts say, especially since bone mass peaks at 25 to 30 years old and slowly begins to lessen around age 40.

After seeing how strength training has improved her life, Baldassaro advises others: “Don’t wait. Get started.”

The Associated Press Health and Science Department receives support from the Howard Hughes Medical Institute’s Department of Science Education and the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation. The AP is solely responsible for all content.

By ALEX VEIGA, Associated Press Business Writer

The U.S. housing market slump dragged into its fourth year in 2025 as sales remained stuck at a 30-year low with rising home prices and elevated mortgage rates keeping many prospective home shoppers out of the market.

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Sales of previously occupied U.S. homes totaled 4.06 million last year, flat versus 2024, when sales sank to the lowest level since 1995, the National Association of Realtors said Wednesday. Sales have declined on annual basis every year since 2022.

The median national home price for all of last year rose 1.7% to $414,400, the NAR said.

Sales have been stuck at around a 4-million annual pace now going back to 2023. That’s well short of the 5.2-million annual pace that’s historically been the norm.

The U.S. housing market has been in a sales slump dating back to 2022, when mortgage rates began to climb from pandemic-era lows. The average rate on a 30-year mortgage was around 7% a year ago and remained elevated for much of the year until late summer, when they began to ease, falling to close to 6% by the end of the year, according to Freddie Mac.

That recent pullback in mortgage rates helped drive existing U.S. home sales 5.1% higher in December from the previous month, the fastest sales pace in nearly three years.

Even so, affordability remains a challenge for many aspiring homeowners, especially first-time buyers who don’t have equity from an existing home to put toward a new home purchase. Uncertainty over the economy and job market are also keeping many would-be buyers on the sidelines.

By Todd Woody, Bloomberg News

The elimination of U.S. tax credits for residential heat pumps, solar panels and batteries will make electrifying your home more expensive in 2026, and tariffs and made-in-America mandates could add additional costs.

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Just how pricey remains to be seen. New financing models could help keep some solar and battery costs in check, according to Emily Walker, director of insights at online solar marketplace EnergySage.

Here’s what you need to know.

The tax credit repeal’s impact on prices

The expiration of the 30% federal tax credit for solar and battery installations at the end of 2025 doesn’t necessarily make the equipment more costly to buy but for homeowners with a tax liability, it does end the ability to reduce or erase their tax bill. A typical solar and battery system generated tax credits worth about $10,000.

You can still save by leasing

Tax credits remain for leased solar systems through the end of 2027, though the installer receives the incentive and passes on the savings to homeowners through lower monthly payments or other cost reductions.

A new model of solar ownership is emerging

Walker said installers who sold systems are now switching to a new model that lets residents ultimately own their solar and battery arrays while securing the savings from leasing. Called lease-to-own or a prepaid lease, a homeowner pays for the cost of the system upfront and the installer passes on the tax credit benefits as a discount. The solar company must retain ownership for a certain number of years under the tax code but then transfers title to the homeowner.

Southern California installer SolarShoppers sells its systems but company president Shawn Heckerman said he estimates that prepaid leases will account for nearly all of his business in 2026. Like other solar installers, he anticipates that demand will initially soften but recover later in the year. “I expect us to have a better year in 2026 than the last one, even with the tax credit expiring,” he said.

That’s due to soaring electricity rates and temperatures that force residents to run their air conditioners. “When we get into the summer, customer calls spike when they get their first high utility bill,” said Heckerman.

Walker also expects homeowners to continue adding panels as they install electric vehicle chargers and replace fossil fuel appliances with induction stoves and heat pumps. That can make going solar still financially attractive in the long run, even if the absence of federal incentives means adding a couple of years to the time it takes for the energy savings to equal the cost of the system, she said.

“When you’re talking about something that’s producing electricity for 25 years, it’s really just a blip,” said Walker.

New rules could raise the cost of solar panels and batteries

To receive the tax credit, leased systems must comply with new domestic manufacturing requirements that took effect Jan. 1, 2026. The federal government, though, has yet to issue final guidance on what percentage of components from China and other countries are prohibited under the Trump tax bill enacted in July.

Tariffs will also add costs

The U.S. imports most of its solar panels from China, Vietnam and other countries subject to tariffs. Nearly all batteries for residential energy storage are made in China.

Tariffs and manufacturing mandates will likely push up prices, according to analysts, but Walker said that will encourage the industry to focus on cutting “soft costs” like permitting and paperwork that result in U.S. residents paying significantly more for solar energy than those in Australia and Europe.

How heat pumps are affected

Homeowners have also lost the $2,000 federal tax credit for heat pumps that can warm and cool dwellings and provide hot water. But Francis Dietz, a spokesperson for industry group AHRI, noted that most heat pumps didn’t qualify for the incentive, which was only for the most efficient and expensive models.

“You can still get your basic or basic-plus heat pump and don’t have to worry about the tax credit going away, so it won’t make a big difference for the average consumer,” he said.

The U.S. imported 382,000 heat pumps, mainly from China and Mexico, out of 4.1 million of the devices that shipped in 2024, according to AHRI and the United Nations. But prices may rise modestly as domestically assembled heat pumps use Chinese components subject to tariffs.

©2026 Bloomberg News. Visit at bloomberg.com. Distributed by Tribune Content Agency, LLC.